Virtual carpooling

ABSTRACT

A system comprising a first computing device operated by a first driver, a second computing device operated by a second driver, and a server is disclosed. The server may determine one or more characteristics of the first driver based on at least one of listening preferences or telematics data of the first driver. Based on the one or more characteristics of the first driver, the server may assign the first driver to a conference. The server may receive a request from the second computing device for the second driver to participate in conferencing. The server may determine that the second driver has at least one characteristic that matches one of the one or more characteristics of the first driver and may assign the second driver to the conference with the first driver. The server may bridge the first driver and the second driver in the conference.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/619,376, filed Feb. 11, 2015, andentitled “Virtual Carpooling,” which is incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

BACKGROUND

A driver may experience long drives or long commutes from home to workand vice versa. For example, a driver may live in a suburb outside of ametropolitan area and may work in downtown or in the city. The drivermay commute an hour and a half or longer to get to work every morning,as well as an hour and a half or longer to get back home every evening.A commute may also be exacerbated by varying road conditions, such asrush hour traffic or weather-related issues. For instance, a driver mayhave a longer commute if he or she leaves for work during rush hour whenhundreds or thousands of other drivers are also leaving for work at thesame time. With a large volume of drivers on the road, a driver'scommute may be even longer than a typical commute time due to greaterchances of traffic, road blocks, or road closures due to potential caraccidents.

In another example, a driver may also experience long drives when takingseveral long distance trips as part of his or her job or for personalinterests. For example, a driver may travel regularly or periodicallyfor his job and may drive cross-country multiple times a month or year.Such long commutes may become particularly tedious, especially for adriver who travels alone. It may be beneficial for such a driver to beable to communicate with other drivers in order to pass the time duringsuch trips or during commutes to work.

Although drivers may wish to talk on a phone to pass the time, making aphone call while driving may be dangerous. For example, a driver may beinvolved in an accident as a result of being distracted when entering aphone number to make an outgoing call or making a selection to receivean incoming call. As such, new systems, methods, and devices may bedesired to assist in establishing communications for drivers whiledriving.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In light of the foregoing background, the following presents asimplified summary of the present disclosure in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not anextensive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify keyor critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of theinvention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of theinvention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription provided below.

Aspects of the disclosure address one or more of the issues mentionedabove by disclosing computerized methods, systems, devices, andapparatuses for providing a virtual carpool system to assign drivers tovirtual carpools based on characteristics of the drivers. The disclosuredescribes a system comprising a first computing device operated by afirst driver, a second computing device operated by a second driver, anda server configured to receive, from the first computing device, a firstrequest for the first driver to participate in conferencing. The servermay be configured to determine one or more characteristics of the firstdriver based on driving behavior data corresponding to a vehicle drivenby the first driver, assign the first driver to a conference based onthe one or more characteristics of the first driver, receive a secondrequest for the second driver to participate in conferencing from thesecond computing device, determine that the second driver has at leastone characteristic that matches one of the one or more characteristicsof the first driver, assign the second driver to the conference with thefirst driver based on the determination that the second driver has atleast one characteristic that matches one of the one or morecharacteristics of the first driver, and bridge the first computingdevice operated by the first driver and the second computing deviceoperated by the second driver in the conference.

The disclosure also describes an apparatus comprising at least oneprocessor, a network interface configured to communicate, via a network,with a virtual carpool device, and a memory storing computer-readableinstructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe apparatus to receive, from the virtual carpool device, a request fora first driver to participate in conferencing, determine one or morecharacteristics of the first driver based on driving behavior datacorresponding to a vehicle driven by the first driver, assign the firstdriver to a conference with one or more drivers based on the one or morecharacteristics of the first driver, and bridge the first driver and theone or more drivers in the conference.

In addition, aspects of this disclosure provide a method that includesreceiving, by one or more computing devices and from a virtual carpooldevice operated by a first driver, a request for the first driver toparticipate in conferencing, determining, by the one or more computingdevices, one or more characteristics of the first driver based ondriving behavior data corresponding to a vehicle driven by the firstdriver, assigning, by the one or more computing devices, the firstdriver to a conference with one or more drivers based on the one or morecharacteristics of the first driver, and bridging, by the one or morecomputing devices, the first driver and the one or more drivers in theconference.

Of course, the methods and systems of the above-referenced embodimentsmay also include other additional elements, steps, computer-executableinstructions or computer-readable data structures. In this regard, otherembodiments are disclosed and claimed herein as well. The details ofthese and other embodiments of the present invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features andadvantages of the invention will be apparent from the description,drawings, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and is notlimited by, the accompanying figures in which like reference numeralsindicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example virtual carpool device thatmay be used in accordance with one or more example embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts an example network environment in which various aspectsof the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example of virtual carpoolassignment in accordance with one or more example embodiments.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of example method steps for bridgingdrivers in virtual carpools in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments.

FIG. 5 depicts a flow diagram of example method steps for bridgingdrivers in virtual carpools in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict an illustrative diagram of example userinterfaces of a virtual carpool application in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

FIGS. 7A and 7B depict an illustrative diagram of example userinterfaces of a virtual carpool application in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict an illustrative diagram of example userinterfaces of a virtual carpool application in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

FIGS. 9A and 9B depict an illustrative diagram of example userinterfaces of a virtual carpool application in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

FIGS. 10A and 10B depict an illustrative diagram of example userinterfaces of a virtual carpool application in accordance with one ormore example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, computerizedmethods, systems, devices, and apparatuses are disclosed that provide avirtual carpool system for receiving requests for drivers to participatein conferencing, determining one or more characteristics for eachdriver, assigning each driver to a conference with other drivers basedon matching characteristics, and allowing communication via a conferencebetween computing devices operated by drivers.

In particular, the present disclosure teaches a virtual carpool systemthat may be beneficial for allowing drivers to communicate with otherdrivers in order to make a long commute more bearable and interestingfor drivers, wherein the drivers may be grouped together based ondriving behavior data and/or listening preferences. The virtual carpoolsystem may be integrated across a plurality of platforms and may beemployed by an insurance company that offers virtual carpool benefits todrivers (e.g., insurance policy holders). That is, the insurance companymay offer virtual carpool benefits to drivers who are insurance policyholders with registered accounts, wherein the drivers may have opted infor the virtual carpool service or program. The virtual carpool systemmay bridge drivers together in a virtual carpool (e.g., a conference) sothat drivers may communicate with other drivers via respective computingdevices. As described herein, the use of the term “virtual carpool” mayindicate a conference, teleconference, or voice call that allows driversto communicate with other drivers with one or more matchingcharacteristics. The one or more matching characteristics may includesimilar listening preferences, driving behaviors, driving patterns,driving scores, insurance scores, and the like.

In an embodiment, each driver may have and/or operate a virtual carpooldevice, such as a computing device or a mobile device, which allows adriver to request to join a virtual carpool with one or more drivers. Adriver may use a virtual carpool manager or application on his or hervirtual carpool device to submit a request to a virtual carpool system(e.g., a server) via a speech or voice input. For example, in therequest, the driver may identify one or more preferred conferences orvirtual carpools to which the driver wishes to be added. The driver mayalso specify a number of drivers (e.g., one or more other drivers) withwhich the driver wishes to be in a conference. In another example, thedriver may submit a request to be added to a virtual carpool withoutidentifying any particular preferences.

The virtual carpool system may receive the request from the driver anddetermine one or more characteristics of the driver based on drivingbehavior data corresponding to a vehicle driven by the driver. Drivingbehavior data may include real-time data that is collected by sensors(e.g., accelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, and the like), a telematicsdevice, and/or computing device in the vehicle driven by the driver andmay include driving history data formed by collecting such real-timedata over a period of time. In an embodiment, the driver may be an ownerof the vehicle and/or have access and/or permission to drive thevehicle. The virtual carpool system may determine one or morecharacteristics of the driver based on the real-time data from thevehicle. For example, the virtual carpool system may determine one ormore characteristics of the driver based on driving speeds,acceleration, braking, steering, turn signals, miles driven, amount oftime driven at night, amount of time driven during the daytime, and thelike.

Based on the one or more characteristics of the driver, the virtualcarpool system may assign the driver to a conference with one or moredrivers. That is, the virtual carpool system may store information thatassociates the driver with a particular conference. For example, thevirtual carpool system may determine a characteristic of the driver tobe that the driver has currently driven and/or has previously driven ator below a designated speed limit on a road. Based on this determinedcharacteristic, the virtual carpool system may store information thatassociates the driver with a particular conference of one or moredrivers who also similarly drive at or below the designated speed limiton a road. According to the assignment, the virtual carpool system maythen proceed to bridge the first driver and the one or more drivers inthe particular conference. In another example, the virtual carpoolsystem may determine a characteristic of the driver to be that thedriver primarily travels at night according to the driver's amount oftime driven at night. Based on this determined characteristic, thevirtual carpool system may store information assigning the driver to aparticular conference of one or more drivers who also primarily drive atnight. The virtual carpool system may then bridge the driver with theone or more drivers in the particular conference in order to facilitatecommunication amongst the drivers while traveling at night.

The virtual carpool system may also determine one or morecharacteristics of the driver further based on listening preferences ofthe driver. For example, the driver may submit a request to be added toa conference by using his or her virtual carpool device (e.g., mobiledevice). After transmitting the request to the virtual carpool system,the virtual carpool device may detect audio playing in the vehicledriven by the driver. The virtual carpool device may send informationabout the detected audio to the virtual carpool system, wherein thevirtual carpool system may determine listening preferences of the driverbased on the information about the detected audio by the virtual carpooldevice. In some embodiments, the listening preferences may comprise dataregarding a radio station, artist, song, genre, radio personality, orpodcast playing in the vehicle at the time that the request wasinitially submitted by the driver (or shortly before, e.g., within thepast five minutes, or shortly thereafter). Listening preferences mayalso be determined based on conversations that take place amongpassengers (including the driver) in the vehicle (e.g., at or around thetime of the request was initially submitted by the driver). The virtualcarpool system may assign the driver to a conference with one or moreother drivers who share similar listening preferences with the driver.Thus, the drivers in the conference may be able to communicate regardingtheir shared listening preferences.

In another embodiment, the virtual carpool system may collect drivingbehavior data corresponding to the vehicle driven by a driver over apredetermined period of time. For example, the predetermined period oftime may correspond to a billing cycle or billing period associated withan insurance policy of the driver. That is, the driver may be identifiedon an insurance policy that insures the vehicle, and the virtual carpoolsystem may collect the driving behavior data over the billing periodassociated with the insurance policy. The virtual carpool system maydetermine one or more driving patterns of the driver based on thecollected driving behavior data over the predetermined period of time.For example, the virtual carpool system may determine that the drivertypically drives at speeds of 80 mph on particular routes, such as onhighways, according to the collected driving behavior data. In anotherexample, the virtual carpool system may determine that the driver oftenengages in sudden braking when traveling on highways. Based on the oneor more determined driving patterns, the virtual carpool system maydetermine one or more characteristics of the driver. The virtual carpoolsystem may then use the one or more characteristics of the driver todetermine to which conference to assign the driver.

Furthermore, the virtual carpool system may receive requests toparticipate in conferencing from multiple drivers. In some embodiments,the virtual carpool system may receive a different request from each ofa plurality of drivers, wherein each driver may be assigned to aparticular conference based on one or more characteristics associatedwith each driver. For example, the virtual carpool system may receive afirst request for a first driver to participate in conferencing and maydetermine one or more characteristics of the first driver correspondingto a vehicle driven by the first driver. The virtual carpool system maythen assign the first driver to a conference based on the one or morecharacteristics. After the first assignment, the virtual carpool systemmay receive a second request for a second driver to participate inconferencing. The virtual carpool system may determine whether or notthe second driver has at least one characteristic that matches with theone or more characteristics of the first driver. The one or morecharacteristics may be based on driving behavior data, driving patterns,listening preferences, driving scores, insurance scores, interests,preferences, and the like.

If the second driver shares at least one matching or similarcharacteristic with the first driver, the virtual carpool system mayassign the second driver to the conference with the first driver. Thevirtual carpool system may then bridge a first computing device operatedby the first driver and a second computing device operated by the seconddriver in the conference. In some embodiments, the conference maycomprise one or more additional drivers who each have at least onematching characteristic with the first driver and/or the second driver.Thus, the virtual carpool system may also bridge the first computingdevice, the second computing device, and respective devices associatedwith each of the one or more additional drivers in the conference.

If the second driver does not share at least one matching or similarcharacteristic with the first driver, the virtual carpool system mayassign the second driver to a second conference with one or more otherdrivers. The virtual carpool system may then bridge the second computingdevice with the other respective devices associated with each of theother one or more drivers in the second conference. By usingcharacteristics to match drivers together in conferences, the virtualcarpool system may allow various drivers to communicate and haveinteresting conversations about a variety of topics in order to makelong commutes more enjoyable for the drivers. The virtual carpool systemmay allow drivers to engage in stimulating conversations with otherdrivers by grouping drivers together in virtual carpools based onsimilar characteristics. Instead of a random grouping, the virtualcarpool system may allow drivers with shared interests or commoncharacteristics to be in the same conference together.

In the following description of the various embodiments, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and inwhich is shown by way of illustration, various embodiments of thedisclosure that may be practiced. It is to be understood that otherembodiments may be utilized. A person of ordinary skill in the art afterreading the following disclosure will appreciate that the variousaspects described herein may be embodied as a computerized method,system, device, or apparatus utilizing one or more computer programproducts. Accordingly, various aspects of the computerized methods,systems, devices, and apparatuses may take the form of an entirelyhardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodimentcombining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, various aspects ofthe computerized methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses may take theform of a computer program product stored by one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media having computer-readable program code,or instructions, embodied in or on the storage media. Any suitablecomputer readable storage media may be utilized, including hard disks,CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, and/or anycombination thereof. In addition, various signals representing data orevents as described herein may be transferred between a source and adestination in the form of electromagnetic waves traveling throughsignal-conducting media such as metal wires, optical fibers, and/orwireless transmission media (e.g., air and/or space). It is noted thatvarious connections between elements are discussed in the followingdescription. It is noted that these connections are general and, unlessspecified otherwise, may be direct or indirect, wired or wireless, andthat the specification is not intended to be limiting in this respect.

In one or more arrangements, teachings of the present disclosure may beimplemented with a computing device. FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagramof an example virtual carpool device 100 that may be used in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. The virtual carpool device 100is a specialized computing device programmed and/or configured toperform and carry out aspects associated with requesting and providingvirtual carpools for drivers as described herein. The virtual carpooldevice 100 may have a virtual carpool manager 101 configured to performmethods and execute instructions as described herein. The virtualcarpool manager 101 may be implemented with one or more speciallyconfigured processors and one or more storage units (e.g., databases,RAM, ROM, and other computer-readable media), one or more applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), and/or other hardware components.Throughout this disclosure, the virtual carpool manager 101 may refer tothe software (e.g., a computer program or application) and/or hardwareused to determine characteristics and/or preferences of drivers andassign the drivers to various virtual carpools based on thecharacteristics and/or preferences. Specifically, the virtual carpoolmanager 101 may be a part of a virtual carpool system that assignsdrivers to virtual carpools and facilitates communication among thedrivers by bridging devices in conferences. The one or more speciallyconfigured processors of the virtual carpool manager 101 may operate inaddition to or in conjunction with another general processor 103 of thevirtual carpool device 100. In some embodiments, the virtual carpoolmanager 101 may be a software module executed by one or more generalprocessors 103. Both the virtual carpool manager 101 and the generalprocessor 103 may be capable of controlling operations of the virtualcarpool device 100 and its associated components, including RAM 105, ROM107, an input/output (I/O) module 109, a network interface 111, andmemory 113.

The I/O module 109 may be configured to be connected to an input device115, such as a microphone, keypad, keyboard, touchscreen, gesture orother sensors, and/or stylus through which a user or a driver associatedwith the virtual carpool device 100 may provide input data. The I/Omodule 109 may also be configured to be connected to a display device117, such as a monitor, television, touchscreen, and the like, and mayinclude a graphics card. The display device 117 and input device 115 areshown as separate elements from the virtual carpool device 100, however,they may be within the same structure.

Using the input device 115, system administrators may update variousaspects of the virtual carpool system, such as rules or informationrelated to determining one or more characteristics of drivers (e.g.,based on driving behaviors, listening preferences, driving patterns,driving scores, insurance scores, and the like), matching similarcharacteristics between drivers, assigning drivers to virtual carpools,and bridging drivers in the virtual carpools or conferences. On somevirtual carpool devices 100, the input device 115 may be operated byusers (e.g., drivers associated with a vehicle) to interact with thevirtual carpool system, including submitting requests to participate invirtual carpooling, providing or updating preferences for a requestedvirtual carpool, sending contact information to other drivers,requesting or viewing contact information of other drivers, updatingaccount information, and the like, as described herein. In anembodiment, the input device 115 may include a microphone that allowsdrivers to verify or submit information by speech inputs. Additionallyor alternatively, the display device 117 may allow drivers to confirm orview their inputs.

The memory 113 may be any computer readable medium for storing computerexecutable instructions (e.g., software). The instructions stored withinmemory 113 may enable the virtual carpool device 100 to perform variousfunctions. For example, memory 113 may store software used by thevirtual carpool device 100, such as an operating system 119 andapplication programs 121, and may include an associated database 123.

The network interface 111 allows the virtual carpool device 100 toconnect to and communicate with a network 130. The network 130 may beany type of network, including a local area network (LAN) and/or a widearea network (WAN), such as the Internet. Through the network 130, thevirtual carpool device 100 may communicate with one or more computingdevices 140, such as laptops, notebooks, smartphones, personalcomputers, servers, and the like. The computing devices 140 may includeat least some of the same components as virtual carpool device 100. Insome embodiments the virtual carpool device 100 may be connected to thecomputing devices 140 to form a “cloud” computing environment.

The network interface 111 may connect to the network 130 viacommunication lines, such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, and thelike or wirelessly using a cellular backhaul or a wireless standard,such as IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15, IEEE 802.16, and the like. In someembodiments, the network interface may include a modem. Further, thenetwork interface 111 may use various protocols, including TCP/IP,Ethernet, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol(HTTP), and the like, to communicate with other computing devices 140.

FIG. 1 is an example embodiment of a virtual carpool device 100. Inother embodiments, the virtual carpool device 100 may include fewer ormore elements. For example, the virtual carpool device 100 may use thegeneral processor(s) 103 to perform functions of the virtual carpoolmanager 101, and thus, might not include a separate processor orhardware for the virtual carpool manager 101. Additionally, oralternatively, the virtual carpool device 100 may be a mobile device(e.g., a smartphone, tablet, and the like) specially configured toperform or carry out aspects of virtual carpooling described herein, andthus, may also include various other components, such as a battery,speaker, and/or antennas (not shown). Also, the virtual carpool device100 may be a telematics device and/or a vehicle computing device (eitherinstalled by a vehicle manufacturer or as an aftermarket part) havingvehicle compatible elements, such as a port for an on-board diagnosticconnector or ports for other vehicle sensors (e.g., tire pressuresensors, engine temperature sensors, and the like). For example, thevirtual carpool device 100 may be a vehicle's computer or a deviceplugged into the vehicle's computer for use in vehicle telematics.

The computerized methods for providing virtual carpool features andassigning drivers to virtual carpools as disclosed herein may beimplemented on one or more virtual carpool devices 100 used in variousnetwork environments. FIG. 2 illustrates an example network environment200 for implementing methods in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure.

As shown in FIG. 2, the network environment 200 may include a network201 configured to connect a virtual carpool system 202, virtual carpooldevice 212, vehicle 217, telematics device 218, and mobile device 220.The virtual carpool device 212 may be the same as or at least similar tothe virtual carpool device 100 described above with reference to FIG. 1.Collectively, these specialized computing devices may form at least apart of a virtual carpool system. Although only one of each of thecomponents 212, 217, 218, and 220 are shown in FIG. 2, it is understoodthat there may be any number of components 212, 217, 218, and 220 in thenetwork environment 200.

The network 201 may be any type of network, like the network 130described above, and may use one or more communication protocols (e.g.,protocols for the Internet (IP), Bluetooth, cellular communications,satellite communications, and the like.) to connect computing devicesand servers within the network environment 200 so they may send andreceive communications between each other. In particular, the network201 may include a cellular network and its components, such as celltowers. Accordingly, for example, a mobile device 220 (e.g., asmartphone) or a virtual carpool device 212 of a driver associated withvehicle 217 may communicate, via a cellular backhaul of the network 201,with a virtual carpool system 202 to request for the driver toparticipate in virtual carpooling or conferencing.

In another example, the mobile device 220 or the virtual carpool device212 of the driver associated with vehicle 217 may communicate, via acellular backhaul of the network 201, with the virtual carpool system202 to submit preferences regarding a virtual carpool. And, in theopposite direction, the virtual carpool system 202 may communicate, viathe cellular backhaul of the network 201, with the mobile device 220 orthe virtual carpool device 212 to notify the user (e.g., the driverassociated with vehicle 217) of the mobile device 220 or virtual carpooldevice 212 of being assigned to a virtual carpool. In anotherembodiment, the mobile device 220 and/or virtual carpool device 212 maycommunicate back and forth with the virtual carpool system 202 over theInternet, such as through a web portal. As shown in FIG. 2, it should beunderstood that the mobile device 220 or virtual carpool device 212 mayconnect to the network 201 even if it is removed from the vehicle 217.

In an embodiment, there may be multiple vehicles 217 that are covered byan insurance policy of one individual. Although FIG. 2 illustrates onlyone vehicle 217, the virtual carpool system may be configured tocommunicate with multiple vehicles 217 simultaneously (e.g., at oraround the same time), wherein multiple vehicles 217 may be associatedwith multiple individuals. The virtual carpool system 202 may receiverequests to join virtual carpools from multiple drivers simultaneously,assign the multiple drivers to various virtual carpools simultaneously,notify the multiple drivers of the virtual carpool assignmentssimultaneously, and bridge the multiple drivers in the various virtualcarpools simultaneously. Also, although FIG. 2 depicts the vehicle 217as a car, the vehicle 217 may be any type of vehicle, including amotorcycle, bicycle, scooter, drone (or other automated device), truck,bus, boat, plane, helicopter, and the like.

In an embodiment, there may be a driver associated with the vehicle 217.The driver may be associated with the vehicle 217 if the driver is anowner of the vehicle 217 and/or has access and/or permission to drive oroperate the vehicle 217. Additionally or alternatively, a driver may beassociated with the vehicle 217 if the driver is identified on aninsurance policy that insures the vehicle 217. A driver of the vehicle217 may also be associated with and operate a virtual carpool device212. In an embodiment, the virtual carpool device 212 may be aspecialized mobile device (e.g., mobile phone), a tablet, laptop,personal computer, and the like configured to perform or carry outaspects associated with virtual carpooling described herein. Forexample, the virtual carpool device 212 may be the same as the mobiledevice 220 depicted in FIG. 2. The virtual carpool device 212 may belongto a driver, individual, or customer of an insurance company who isenrolled in a virtual carpool service. Although only one virtual carpooldevice 212 is illustrated in FIG. 2, there may be any number of virtualcarpool devices 212, wherein each virtual carpool device 212 isassociated with at least one driver. The virtual carpool device 212 mayfurther comprise a virtual carpool manager 213, a display 214, andsensors 215. In the case of a virtual carpool device 212 that isinstalled in or connected to a vehicle, the individual is considered tooperate that virtual carpool device by performing the installation orconnection of that device in or at the vehicle.

The virtual carpool device 212 may be configured to execute the virtualcarpool manager 213 that presents a user interface (e.g., a graphicaluser interface for a website, application, software program, and thelike) on the display 214. The display 214 may comprise a monitor,television, touchscreen, and the like. The user interface of the virtualcarpool manager 213 may allow drivers to send requests to participate inconferencing, send and/or receive contact information from otherdrivers, and receive notifications about virtual carpools as provided bythe virtual carpool system 202. The virtual carpool manager 213 may be aself-sufficient program or may be a module of another program, such as aprogram used to collect and/or evaluate driver information representingactions of a vehicle 217, driving behavior of a driver associated with avehicle 217, and/or status updates of a vehicle 217. The virtual carpoolmanager 213 may have access to driving behavior data that is collectedby the sensors 215 of the virtual carpool device 212. The sensors 215may comprise various sensors and/or modules that detect drivingbehaviors, environmental information, and/or other risk-related factorsof a driver of a vehicle 217. For example, the sensors 215 may comprisean accelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, and the like. In an embodiment, thesensors 215 may detect driving behaviors corresponding to a vehicle 217operated by a driver in order to determine to which virtual carpool toassign the driver. The virtual carpool device 212 may also haveadditional components, such as a microphone and an analog to digitalconverter for capturing and processing listening preferences.

In an embodiment, the virtual carpool manager 213 may be downloaded orotherwise installed onto the virtual carpool device 212 using knownmethods. Different devices may install different versions of the virtualcarpool manager 213 depending on their platform. For example, a virtualcarpool device 212 (e.g., a smartphone) running the iOS™ operatingsystem may download a different version of the virtual carpool manager213 than a virtual carpool device 212 running the ANDROID™ operatingsystem.

A driver may launch the virtual carpool manager 213 by, for example,operating buttons or a touchscreen on the virtual carpool device 212.Additionally, or alternatively, the virtual carpool device 212 may beconfigured to execute a web browser (e.g., an application for accessingand navigating the Internet) to access a web page providing an interfacefor the virtual carpool system. In some embodiments, the virtual carpooldevice 212 may also be configured to collect information, such asdriving behavior data. For example, the virtual carpool manager 213 oranother program installed on the virtual carpool device 212 may instructthe virtual carpool device 212 to collect driving behavior data usingthe sensors 215 (e.g., its accelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, and the like).Driving behavior data may comprise data that is indicative of drivingbehaviors that are collected from a vehicle while driving. Drivingbehavior data may include vehicle telematics data or any other datarelated to events occurring during a vehicle's trip (e.g., an impact toa part of the vehicle, a deployed airbag, and the like). Drivingbehavior data may also include location information, such as GPScoordinates, indicating the geographical location of the virtual carpooldevice 212. The virtual carpool manager 213 or another program installedon the virtual carpool device 212 may collect driving behavior data overa predetermined period of time and determine one or more drivingpatterns based on the collected driving behavior data. The virtualcarpool manager 213 or another program may determine one or morecharacteristics of a driver based on the one or more determined drivingpatterns and assign the driver to a conference based on the one or morecharacteristics. A driver associated with the vehicle 217 and associatedwith the virtual carpool device 212 may employ the virtual carpoolmanager 213 to send and/or access at least one of virtual carpoolrequests, virtual carpool information, contact information, accountinformation, and settings/preferences related to the vehicle 217.

Additionally, FIG. 2 also illustrates a telematics device 218 connectedto the network 201. In an embodiment, the telematics device 218 may bereferred to as a vehicle computing device that is associated with thevehicle 217 and the mobile device 220. In some embodiments, the mobiledevice 220 and telematics device 218 may communicate with one another(e.g., via Bluetooth). The mobile device 220 may be any mobile device(e.g., a smartphone, tablet, and the like) that is associated with adriver or passenger of the vehicle 217. In particular, the mobile device220 may belong to a driver of the vehicle 217, wherein the driver is acustomer of an insurance company and enrolled in a service that allowsthe driver to participate in virtual carpool services. The mobile device220 may be configured similarly to the virtual carpool device 212 andmay interface with the telematics device 218.

The telematics device 218 may be configured to execute a virtual carpoolmanager that presents a user interface for a customer to provide inputsto and receive outputs from the virtual carpool system 202. The virtualcarpool manager 213 may be downloaded or otherwise installed onto thetelematics device 218 using known methods. Once installed onto thetelematics device 218, a driver may launch the virtual carpool manager213 by, for example, operating buttons or a touchscreen on the dashboardof the vehicle 217. Additionally, or alternatively, the telematics 218may be configured to execute a web browser to access a web pageproviding an interface for the virtual carpool system 202.

In some embodiments, the telematics device 218 may be a device that isplugged into the vehicle's 217 on-board diagnostic (OBD) system (e.g.,plugged in through an OBD II connector) or otherwise installed in thevehicle 217 in order to collect driving behavior data using, e.g., itsaccelerometer, GPS, gyroscope, or any other sensor (either in thetelematics device 218 or the vehicle 217). As mentioned above, thisdriving behavior data may include vehicle telematics data or any otherdata related to events occurring during a vehicle's trip (e.g., animpact to a part of the vehicle 217, a deployed airbag, or other eventtriggered by a sensor 215 of the vehicle 217). The vehicle 217 may havea GPS installed therein, and therefore, the telematics device 218 mayalso collect GPS coordinates. Alternatively, the telematics device 218may include its own GPS receiver.

Further, the telematics device 218 may include multiple devices. Forexample, the telematics device 218 may include the vehicle's OBD systemand other computers of the vehicle 217. The telematics device 218 may beconfigured to interface with one or more vehicle sensors (e.g., fuelgauge, tire pressure sensors, engine temperature sensors, and the like).The telematics device 218 may also interface with the mobile device 220via a wired connection (e.g., USB, OBD II connector, and the like) or awireless connection (e.g., Bluetooth). In some embodiments, there mightnot be a telematics device 218 installed in the vehicle 217 that isconfigurable to interface with the virtual carpool system 202, or thetelematics device 218 might not be able to communicate with the mobiledevice 220. Still, in some cases, the telematics device 218 might beconfigured so that it only communicates with the mobile device 220within the same vehicle 217.

In an embodiment, both a telematics device 218 and a mobile device 220(or a virtual carpool device 212) may be employed, whereas in anotherembodiment, only one of these devices may be used with the virtualcarpool system to collect driving behavior data. For example, a driverassociated with the vehicle 217 may choose whether he or she wishes touse his or her mobile phone to capture driving behavior data or whetherhe or she wishes to have a device plugged into the vehicle 217 tocollect driving behavior data.

FIG. 2 also illustrates example subsystems within the networkenvironment 200. That is the virtual carpool system 202 may comprise avirtual carpool subsystem 203 and a plurality of databases 206. Thevirtual carpool subsystem 203 may include one or more applicationservers, computing devices, and other equipment (e.g., conference bridgeequipment) used by company (e.g., insurance company) personnel toimplement and provide the virtual carpool services described herein. Forexample, the virtual carpool subsystem 203 may include a virtual carpoolassignment module that is configured with programmed instructions toassign a driver of the vehicle 217 to a virtual carpool based on one ormore characteristics of the driver, notify the driver of the virtualcarpool assignment, and bridge the driver with one or more other driversin the virtual carpool. For example, the virtual carpool assignmentmodule may update a virtual carpool or conference assignment associatedwith a virtual carpool account. The virtual carpool assignment modulemay associate the conference assignment with the virtual carpool accountby identifying an account number or another unique identifier for theaccount. The conference assignment may be stored as a conferenceassignment record in a database (e.g., database 206) of the virtualcarpool system 202, wherein the conference assignment record may beassociated with driver or customer records stored in the database. Forexample, the conference assignment record may identify a uniqueidentification number for a driver or customer. In another example, theconference assignment record may include a field for each associateddriver or customer assigned to the conference. The virtual carpoolassignment module may update the conference assignment by inserting oneor more identifiers in the field for each driver assigned to theconference.

The virtual carpool assignment module may also be configured withprogrammed instructions to determine one or more characteristics of adriver based on driving behavior data corresponding to the vehicle 217driven by the driver or based on listening preferences data of thedriver. For example, the virtual carpool assignment module may update orstore information regarding driving behavior data and listeningpreferences data of a driver associated with a virtual carpool account(e.g., in a database 206). The virtual carpool assignment module mayassociate driving behavior data and listening preferences data with thevirtual carpool account by identifying an account number or anotherunique identifier for the account. The driving behavior data andlistening preferences data may be associated with driver or customerrecords stored in the database.

The virtual carpool subsystem 203 may include functionality that may bedistributed among a plurality of computing devices. For example, thevirtual carpool subsystem 203 may comprise further subsystems, includingclient-side subsystems and server-side subsystems. The client-sidesubsystem may interface with the virtual carpool device 212, telematicsdevice 218, and/or mobile device 220, whereas the server-side subsystemmay interface with application servers and computing devices whichhandle a variety of tasks related to the assignment of virtual carpoolsand management of virtual carpool services.

The subsystems, application servers, and computing devices of thevirtual carpool subsystem 203 may also have access to the plurality ofdatabases 206. In an embodiment, the plurality of databases 206 may beincorporated into the virtual carpool subsystem 203 or may be separatecomponents in the virtual carpool subsystem 203. As an example, theplurality of databases 206 may comprise a virtual carpools database, adriving behaviors database, a listening preferences database, anaccounts and billing database and other databases. A database 206 maycomprise information regarding at least one of the assignment of virtualcarpools, driving behaviors, listening preferences, driver information,or account and billing information. For example, a database 206 maystore a record of which virtual carpools a driver has been assigned to,as well as a driver's preferences for different virtual carpools (e.g.,based on driving behaviors, listening preferences, interests, etc.). Inan embodiment, the virtual carpool subsystem 203 may use the informationstored in the plurality of databases 206 to send notifications todrivers regarding various virtual carpools to join based on the drivers'interests. The data stored in the plurality of databases 206 may becollected and compiled by the virtual carpool device 212, the telematicsdevice 218, the virtual carpool subsystem 203, or by servers andsubsystems within the virtual carpool subsystem 203.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example of virtual carpoolassignment in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates examples of a plurality of drivers 301being assigned to various virtual carpools 303 (e.g., virtual carpoolsA, B, and C) by a virtual carpool system 302. The virtual carpool system302 may be the same as or at least similar to the virtual carpool system202 illustrated in FIG. 2. The plurality of drivers 301 may communicatewith each other in the virtual carpool system 302 through a computingdevice, such as virtual carpool device 100. Additionally and/oralternatively, the plurality of drivers 301 may each be associated witha different vehicle (e.g., vehicle 217) and may each communicate withother drivers in the virtual carpool system 302 by one or more of thevirtual carpool device 212, telematics device 218, and/or mobile device220. Each virtual carpool 303 may have the same number of drivers 301 ora different number of drivers 301 assigned to each virtual carpool 303by the virtual carpool system 302. As an example, virtual carpool Acomprises five drivers, whereas virtual carpool B comprises six drivers,as illustrated in FIG. 3. The virtual carpool system 302 may assign anynumber of drivers 301 to different virtual carpools 303 based on one ormore characteristics of each driver 301.

In an embodiment, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers 301to the same virtual carpool 303 based on one or more characteristics,such as interests, listening preferences, driving behaviors, drivingscores, insurance scores, and the like. For example, the virtual carpoolsystem 302 may determine that a subset of drivers 301 have similarinterests and assign the subset of drivers 301 to the same virtualcarpool 303. Interests may comprise sports interests, music, hobbies,traveling interests, and other preferences specified by the driver 301.For example, the driver 301 may specify his or her interests prior tosubmitting a request to the virtual carpool system 302 in order toparticipate in conferencing. In another embodiment, the virtual carpoolsystem 302 may determine that a subset of drivers 301 have similarlistening preferences and assign the subset of drivers 301 to the samevirtual carpool 303. Listening preferences may be based on dataregarding music interests previously identified by the driver 301 ordata regarding audio currently playing in the driver's vehicle. Forexample, each driver 301 may provide information identifying at leastone of his or her favorite music, radio station(s), artist(s), song(s),genre(s), radio personalities, or podcasts prior to participating invirtual carpooling. The virtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers301 to specific virtual carpools 303 based on this information.Additionally, the driver 301 may submit a request to the virtual carpoolsystem 302 in order to be placed in a virtual carpool 303 based ondetected audio playing in the vehicle driven by the driver 301. Thevirtual carpool system 302 may detect the audio in the driver's vehicle,determine listening preferences of the driver 301 based on the detectedaudio, and assign the driver 301 to a virtual carpool 303 accordingly.This feature may allow drivers 301 to be able to discuss their favoritemusic and current songs playing on the radio with other drivers 301 withsimilar interests while driving.

In another embodiment, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers301 to a virtual carpool 303 based on collected driving behavior data.That is, the virtual carpool system 302 may collect driving behaviordata corresponding to the vehicle driven by a driver 301 over apredetermined period of time (e.g., a day, a week, a month, a billingcycle, or another period of time). For example, driving behaviorsassociated with a driver 301 may comprise speeding, braking, steering,turn signals, miles driven, amount of time driven at night, amount oftime driving during daytime, and the like. The virtual carpool system302 may determine one or more driving patterns of the driver 301 basedon the collected driving behavior data over the predetermined period oftime. A driving pattern may represent driving behaviors that arerepeated over the predetermined period of time. Based on the one or moredriving patterns, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign the driver301 to a corresponding virtual carpool 303. For example, the virtualcarpool system 302 may determine that the driver 301 generally drivesbelow or above the speed limit. The virtual carpool system 302 may thusassign the driver 301 to a virtual carpool 303 with other drivers 301who also similarly drive below or above the speed limit. In some cases,the virtual carpool 302 may assign a driver 301 who drives above thespeed limit with other drivers 301 who drive below or at the speed limitin order to promote discussions regarding safe driving. For example, theother drivers 301 who drive below or at the speed limit may encouragethe driver 301 to drive safely without speeding.

In another example, the virtual carpool system 302 may determine that adriver 301 often drives a certain route each day, such as on his wayhome or on his way to work. The virtual carpool system 302 may thusassign the driver 301 to a virtual carpool 303 with other drivers 301who travel a similar route as the driver 301 so that the drivers maydiscuss road conditions regarding the similar route, including trafficconditions, road and/or lane closures, weather-related issues, and thelike. In yet another example, the virtual carpool system 302 maydetermine that the driver 301 primarily travels during nighttime ordaytime. The virtual carpool system 302 may thus assign the driver 301to a virtual carpool 303 with other drivers 301 who also travel atsimilar times as the driver 301. For example, drivers 301 may be able tocommunicate in a virtual carpool 303 while they all travel at night.This feature may allow drivers 301 to keep each other awake by engagingin conversations in a virtual carpool 303 during late hours oftraveling.

In another embodiment, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers301 to a virtual carpool 303 based on driving scores. In an embodiment,driving scores may comprise scores for a plurality of driving behaviorsassociated with a driver 301. For example, driving scores may becalculated based on speed, braking, steering, turn signals, milesdriven, amount of time driven at night, amount of time driven duringdaytime, and the like. The driving scores may be calculated on anhourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or any other periodic basis and may beused by an insurance company to evaluate drivers 301 for variouspurposes. In some cases, a high driving score may represent safe drivingbehaviors, whereas a low driving score may represent unsafe drivingbehaviors. The virtual carpool system 302 may employ the driving scoresto determine to which virtual carpool to assign a driver 301. Forexample, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers 301 who haveeach received a driving score within the a range of 95-100 in a firstvirtual carpool 303, drivers 301 who have each received a driving scorewithin a score range of 90-94 in a second virtual carpool 303, anddrivers 301 who have each received a driving score within a score rangeof 80-89 in a third virtual carpool 303. In another embodiment, thevirtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers 301 with different drivingscores to the same virtual carpool 303. For example, the virtual carpool302 may assign a first driver 301 with a driving score within a scorerange of 80-89 in the same virtual carpool 303 as a second driver 301with a driving score within a score range of 95-100. This grouping mayallow drivers 301 with different or higher driving scores to discussand/or share with other drivers 301 how they received particular drivingscores based on specific driving behaviors.

In an embodiment, driving scores may be different from or the same asinsurance scores, which may be used to determine insurance premiums orinsurance deductibles. In some cases, insurance scores may be calculatedfrom driving scores, and the virtual carpool system 302 may utilize theinsurance scores to assign drivers 301 to various virtual carpools 303.In some embodiments, the virtual carpool system 302 may match drivers301 based on one or more common characteristics and assign drivers 301with common interests to the same virtual carpool 303. Additionallyand/or alternatively, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers301 with different interests to the same virtual carpool 303. Forexample, this feature of the virtual carpool system 302 may allowdrivers with different backgrounds or different interests to communicatewith other drivers in a virtual carpool 303 through a conference call.

Additionally, drivers 301 may be able to rate other drivers 301 in avirtual carpool 303 after or during a conference call. Drivers 301 mayrate other drivers 301 based on the quality of the conversations duringthe conference call, such as topics discussed, whether or not the driver301 enjoyed the conversation with one or more particular drivers 301,and whether or not the driver 301 wishes to converse again in anotherconference call with the one or more particular drivers 301 in thevirtual carpool. In some cases, a driver 301 may rate another driver 301with either a higher rating or a lower rating based on their behavior orinteractions during the conference call. For example, the driver 301 maysubmit a higher rating if he or she enjoyed conversations with the otherdriver 301. Alternatively, the driver 301 may submit a lower rating ifthe other driver participated in poor conduct or berated fellow driversduring conversations within the conference call. In some embodiments,drivers with lower ratings might not be allowed to participate inconference calls or even join a virtual carpool. That is, drivers withlower ratings may be “benched” from virtual carpool services for acertain period of time. A driver's lower rating may be re-evaluatedafter the certain period of time has expired, after which the driver mayrejoin a virtual carpool or join new virtual carpools. These userratings may allow the virtual carpool system 302 to receive feedbackfrom drivers 301 and update a virtual carpool assignment moduleaccordingly (e.g., within virtual carpool subsystem 203) to improvevirtual carpool assignment functionality of the system. The virtualcarpool system 302 may employ user ratings to assign drivers 301 todifferent virtual carpools 303. That is, the virtual carpool system 302may group drivers 301 with similar ratings together. For example, thevirtual carpool system 302 may group drivers 301 who have receivedsimilar high ratings together in a first virtual carpool 303. Thevirtual carpool system 302 may then group drivers 301 who have receivedsimilar low ratings together in a second virtual carpool 303. In anotherembodiment, the virtual carpool system 302 may group drivers 301 withdifferent ratings together. In some embodiments, the virtual carpoolsystem 302 may group a driver who talks frequently with another driverwho talks infrequently (e.g., listens more than talks).

In some cases, a driver 301 may request to be placed in a virtualcarpool 303 with other drivers 301 who have each received a rating of acertain value or higher. For example, the driver 301 may indicate thispreference and/or other preferences in an initial request to participatein virtual carpooling or conferencing, wherein the request is submittedto the virtual carpool system 302. Another preference may comprise anumber of other drivers 301 that the driver 301 wishes to communicatewith in a virtual carpool 303. The virtual carpool system 302 mayreceive and evaluate the driver's request and place the driver 301 in avirtual carpool 303 with other drivers 301 based on the specifiedpreferences. For example, the virtual carpool system 302 may assign thedriver 301 to a virtual carpool 303 with drivers 301 who have similarratings in comparison with the driver 301. In another embodiment, thevirtual carpool system 302 may assign drivers 301 with differentcharacteristics to the same virtual carpool 303. For example, the driver301 might not indicate any preferences when submitting the request toparticipate in virtual carpooling or conferencing. Thus, the virtualcarpool system 302 may assign the driver 301 to a virtual carpool withany number of drivers 301 with different characteristics, interests,ratings, and the like.

After drivers 301 have been assigned to a particular virtual carpool303, the virtual carpool system 302 may bridge the drivers 301 togetherin a conference call. That is, the drivers 301 may be able tocommunicate via a voice call on each of their respective devices (e.g.,each driver 301 may operate at least one of a virtual carpool device212, telematics device 218, or mobile device 220). In some embodiments,only a subset of drivers 301 assigned to a virtual carpool 303 mayparticipate in a conference. For example, some of the drivers 301assigned to the virtual carpool 303 may be unavailable for a conferencecall. As another example, some of the drivers 301 assigned to thevirtual carpool 303 may wish not to participate in the conference call.Thus, drivers 303 may have an option to reject an incoming conferencecall, cancel a request to participate in conferencing, or cancel anongoing conference call with other drivers 301 assigned to a virtualcarpool 303.

In another embodiment, a driver 301 may select which other drivers 301to communicate with in a conference call. For example, the driver 301may select one or more other drivers 301 to participate in a conferencecall with him or her, wherein the one or more other drivers 301 may beassigned to the same virtual carpool 303 as the driver 301. The driver301 may also be able to invite and/or add friends, family members, andother contacts to join him or her in a certain virtual carpool 303. Forexample, the driver 301 may submit contact information regarding afriend to add to a virtual carpool 303 to the virtual carpool system302. The contact information may comprise at least one of a name, phonenumber, or email address associated with the friend. The virtual carpoolsystem 302 may employ the contact information to notify the friend ofbeing added to the virtual carpool 303 with the driver 301.

By employing the virtual carpool system 302, a driver 301 may also beable to obtain contact information from other drivers 301 with whom thedriver 301 has communicated in a virtual carpool 303. The driver 301 mayalso be able to send contact information to other drivers 301 with whomthe driver 301 has communicated in a virtual carpool 303. For example, afirst driver may wish to communicate again with a second driver and mayrequest to receive contact information from the second driver. If thesecond driver also wishes to communicate again with the firstinformation, the virtual carpool system 302 may allow the first driverand the second driver to share contact information with each other. Thatis, the virtual carpool system 302 may send the first driver's contactinformation to the second driver and the second driver's contactinformation to the first driver. The contact information may be in theform of an electronic business card (e.g., a vCard) and may comprisenames, address, phone numbers, email addresses, photographs, and thelike. Thus, the virtual carpool system 302 may allow drivers to interactwith and engage in stimulating conversations while driving andultimately meet other drivers with similar interests.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 4illustrates example method steps for assigning and bridging drivers invirtual carpools. The steps of FIG. 4 may be performed by subsystems,application servers, and computing devices of the virtual carpool system202 (e.g., virtual carpool subsystem 203). One or more of the steps ofFIG. 4 may be performed by executing a virtual carpool program (e.g., avirtual carpool mobile application) and/or by operating a particularlyconfigured computing device of the virtual carpool system 202. As aresult of the method of FIG. 4, a driver, at virtual carpool device 212and associated with vehicle 217, may be assigned to a virtual carpooland bridged with other drivers in the virtual carpool.

The method of FIG. 4 may begin with a step of 401 of receiving a requestfor a driver to participate in virtual carpooling. For example, thevirtual carpool system 202 may receive a request for a driver toparticipate in virtual carpooling, wherein the request is received fromthe virtual carpool device 212, telematics device 218, and/or mobiledevice 220. The driver may comprise one of the plurality of drivers 301,and the driver may drive the vehicle 217. Furthermore, the request maybe received after the driver has registered for the virtual carpoolservice or program. For example, the driver may sign up for the virtualcarpool service and provide account information (e.g., name, phonenumber, email address, billing address, and the like). In anotherembodiment, the request may be received concurrently with the driver'sregistration for the virtual carpool service or program. At step 402,the virtual carpool system may determine whether or not the driverindicated any preferences in the request received at step 401. Forexample, the driver may specify preferences regarding a virtual carpoolto which the driver wishes to be added. Preferences may be related to adriver's interests, including sports, music, hobbies, travelinginterests, and other preferences specified by the driver. Otherpreferences may include a name or number identifying a preferred virtualcarpool or a number of drivers with whom the driver wishes tocommunicate in a virtual carpool. If the driver has indicated anypreferences in the request, then the method in this example proceeds tostep 405.

At step 405, the virtual carpool system may determine if the driver hasidentified a preferred virtual carpool in the preferences in therequest. For example, the driver may identify a preferred virtualcarpool by name or by another identifier (e.g., a number), wherein thedriver wishes to be added to the identified virtual carpool. If thedriver has identified a preferred virtual carpool in the request, thenthe method in this example proceeds to step 409. At step 409, thevirtual carpool system assigns the driver the virtual carpool identifiedin the request. For example, the virtual carpool system may storeinformation in a database (e.g., a database 206) that associates thedriver with the virtual carpool identified in the request. At step 410,the virtual carpool system may determine if the driver has identified apreferred number of drivers with whom the driver wishes to communicatein a virtual carpool. For example, the driver may indicate that he orshe wishes to be in a virtual carpool with two drivers, five drivers,ten drivers, or any other number of drivers. If the driver hasidentified a preferred number of drivers in the request, then the methodmay proceed to step 411, in which the virtual carpool system bridges thedriver with the specified number of drivers in the preferred virtualcarpool as identified in the request. If the driver has not identified apreferred number of drivers in the request, then the method may proceedto step 412, in which the virtual carpool system bridges the driver witha random number of drivers in the preferred virtual carpool asidentified in the request. The random number of drivers may be selectedin any manner by the virtual carpool system.

At step 405, if the virtual carpool system determines that the driverhas not identified a preferred virtual carpool in the preferences in therequest, then the method in this example proceeds to step 406. At step406, the virtual carpool system may determine if the driver hasidentified a preferred number of drivers with whom the driver wishes tocommunicate in any virtual carpool. For example, the driver may indicatethat he or she wishes to be in any virtual carpool with two drivers,five drivers, ten drivers, or any other number of drivers. If the driverhas identified a preferred number of drivers in the request, then themethod may proceed to step 407, in which the virtual carpool systembridges the driver with the specified number of drivers in a randomlyassigned virtual carpool. For example, the virtual carpool system mayassign the driver to a random virtual carpool with the specified numberof drivers, based on one or more characteristics of the driver, such asdriving behaviors, listening preferences, or interests of the driver. Ifthe driver has not identified a preferred number of drivers in therequest, then the method may proceed to step 408, in which the virtualcarpool system bridges the driver with a random number of drivers in arandomly assigned virtual carpool. For example, the virtual carpoolsystem may assign the driver to a random virtual carpool with a randomnumber of drivers, based on one or more characteristics of the driver,such as driving behaviors, listening preferences, or interests of thedriver. As previously mentioned, the random number of drivers may beselected in any manner by the virtual carpool system.

At step 402, if the virtual carpool system determines that the driverhas not indicated any preferences in the request received at step 401,then the method in this example proceeds to step 403. At step 403, thevirtual carpool system may determine one or more characteristics of thedriver. For example, the one or more characteristics may includelistening preferences, driving behaviors, driving patterns, drivingscores, insurance scores, and the like. At step 404, the virtual carpoolsystem may assign the driver to a virtual carpool based on the one ormore characteristics. For example, the virtual carpool system may assignthe driver to a virtual carpool for drivers who listen to a certainradio station. In another example, the virtual carpool system may assignthe driver to a virtual carpool for fast drivers or for slow drivers. Inyet another example, the virtual carpool system may assign the driver toa virtual carpool for drivers who are fans of a particular sports team.In some embodiments, the virtual carpool system may receive requests formultiple drivers to participate in virtual carpooling, determinepreferences for each of the multiple drivers simultaneously, determineone or more characteristics of each of the multiple driverssimultaneously, and assign each of the multiple drivers to one or morevirtual carpools simultaneously. That is, the virtual carpool system mayproceed through the steps 401-412, while performing steps with respectto the multiple drivers simultaneously.

FIG. 5 illustrates another flow diagram of an example method inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In particular, FIG. 5illustrates example method steps for assigning and bridging drivers invirtual carpools. The steps of FIG. 5 may be performed by subsystems,application servers, and computing devices of the virtual carpool system202 (e.g., virtual carpool subsystem 203). One or more of the steps ofFIG. 5 may be performed by executing a virtual carpool program (e.g., avirtual carpool mobile application) and/or by operating a particularlyconfigured computing device of the virtual carpool system 202. As aresult of the method of FIG. 5, a first driver, at virtual carpooldevice 212 and associated with vehicle 217, may be assigned to a virtualcarpool and bridged with a second driver and/or other drivers in thevirtual carpool.

The method of FIG. 5 may begin with a step of 501 of receiving a firstrequest for a first driver to participate in virtual carpooling. Forexample, the virtual carpool system 202 may receive a first request fora first driver to participate in virtual carpooling, wherein the firstrequest is received from the virtual carpool device 212, telematicsdevice 218, and/or mobile device 220 associated with the first driver.The first driver may comprise one of the plurality of drivers 301, andthe first driver may drive a first vehicle (e.g., vehicle 217). At step502, the virtual carpool system may determine one or morecharacteristics of the first driver. For example, the virtual carpoolsystem 202 may determine one or more characteristics of the first driverbased on driving behavior data corresponding to the vehicle driven bythe first driver. Driving behavior data may include real-time data thatis collected by sensors 215, the telematics device 217, and/or thevirtual carpool device 212 in the vehicle 217 driven by the firstdriver. In another embodiment, the one or more characteristics of thefirst driver may be based on listening preferences, driving patterns,driving scores, insurance scores, or the like. At step 503, the virtualcarpool system may assign the first driver to a virtual carpool based onthe one or more characteristics. For example, the virtual carpool system202 may assign the first driver to a virtual carpool for drivers withsimilar interests or shared interests with the first driver. At step504, the virtual carpool system may receive a second request for asecond driver to participate in virtual carpooling. For example, thevirtual carpool system 202 may receive a second request for a seconddriver to participate in virtual carpooling, wherein the second requestis received from the virtual carpool device 212, telematics device 218,and/or mobile device 220 associated with the second driver. The seconddriver may comprise one of the plurality of drivers 301, and the seconddriver may drive a second vehicle (e.g., vehicle 217).

At step 505, the virtual carpool system 202 may determine if there areone or more matching characteristics between the first driver and thesecond driver. For example, the virtual carpool system 202 may determineif the second driver has at least one characteristic that matches one ofthe one or more characteristics of the first driver. The at least onecharacteristic of the second driver may be based on at least one of alistening preference, a driving pattern, a driving score, an insurancescore, an interest, a preference, or the like that matches one of theone or more characteristics of the first driver. If the virtual carpoolsystem 202 determines that there is at least one matching characteristicbetween the first driver and the second driver, then the method in thisexample proceeds to step 506. At step 506, the virtual carpool systemmay assign the second driver to the same virtual carpool as the firstdriver. For example, the virtual carpool system 202 may determine thatthe first driver and the second driver have similar listeningpreferences or similar driving patterns and thus may assign both driversto the same virtual carpool. At step 507, the virtual carpool system maybridge the first driver and the second driver together in the samevirtual carpool. For example, the first driver and the second driver maybe able to communicate in a conference via respective computing devices.

If the virtual carpool system determines that there are no matchingcharacteristics between the first driver and the second driver, then themethod in this example proceeds to step 508. At step 508, the virtualcarpool system may assign the second driver to a different virtualcarpool based on the one or more characteristics of the second driver.For example, the second driver may be a fast driver, whereas the firstdriver may be a slow driver. Thus, the virtual carpool system 202 mayassign the second driver with other fast drivers in a different virtualcarpool than the virtual carpool to which the first driver is assigned.At step 509, the virtual carpool system may bridge the second driverwith the other drivers in the different virtual carpool.

In an embodiment, a driver may sign up for or opt-in or opt-out of usingthe virtual carpool service. The driver may provide account information(e.g., name, phone number, email address, billing address, and the like)and subsequently be assigned to a virtual carpool by the virtual carpoolsystem based on the methods described herein. Once the driver has beenassigned to a virtual carpool, the driver might not need to request tojoin the virtual carpool each time after the assignment. For example,the driver may be able to connect to the assigned virtual carpool by aspeech input or by selecting the assigned virtual carpool displayed on auser interface of a virtual carpool device. In another embodiment, thedriver may receive a notification to join an additional virtual carpoolthat is looking for participants. For example, the virtual carpoolsystem may contact the driver based on his or her driving behaviors,listening preferences, or interests, and notify the driver of theadditional virtual carpool that the driver may join. The driver mayopt-in or opt-out of being contacted by the virtual carpool systemregarding additional virtual carpools to join.

The virtual carpool system may also allow drivers assigned to a virtualcarpool to send messages to and receive messages from each other. Forexample, there may be a messaging center (e.g., a user interfacedisplaying messages) in a virtual carpool application that each drivermay access by a virtual carpool device. Drivers may be able to sendmessages to or leave notes for each other through the messaginginterface in the virtual carpool application. In an embodiment, themessages or notes may be read when the driver is not driving. In anotherembodiment, the virtual carpool application may read out the message bytranslating the text to a speech output that the driver may hear fromhis or her virtual carpool device while he or she is currently driving.This feature may allow drivers to communicate with each other, such asafter a virtual carpool conversation, in a safe and hands-free manner.

In yet another embodiment, the virtual carpool service may betemporarily suspended or disabled for certain periods of time for safetypurposes. For example, the virtual carpool service may be temporarilysuspended or disabled for drivers during certain weather conditions,road conditions, accident conditions, or the like. Drivers who areexperiencing such conditions might not be able to use the virtualcarpool service until after the weather, road, or accident-relatedconditions have cleared. That is, the virtual carpool service may berestored after the weather, road, or accident-related conditions havecleared.

FIGS. 6-10 each depict an illustrative diagram of example userinterfaces of a virtual carpool application 602 operating on a virtualcarpool device 600 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.The example user interfaces may be presented on a display of a computingdevice, such as display 214 of virtual carpool device 212. A driveroperating a vehicle, such as vehicle 217, may access a virtual carpoolapplication 602 using a virtual carpool device 600 (e.g., at least oneof the virtual carpool device 212, telematics device 218, or mobiledevice 220). Specifically, FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate user interfaces ofutilizing a virtual carpool application 602 to request to participate invirtual carpooling. The user interface in FIG. 6A depicts a menu for thevirtual carpool application 602 that may be displayed on the virtualcarpool device 600. The driver operating the virtual carpool device 600may tap on a button or icon on the user interface to navigate todifferent screens in the virtual carpool application 602. For example,the driver may select one or more of the following options: “RequestVirtual Carpool”, “View Virtual Carpools”, “View Contact Information”,“Send Contact Information”, “View Account Information”, and“Settings/Preferences.” In another embodiment, the driver may navigateto different screens in the virtual carpool application 602 by speech orvoice inputs. For example, the driver may select the microphone icon onthe user interface to provide voice inputs for selecting differentoptions and navigating screens in the virtual carpool application 602.

The user interface in FIG. 6B depicts what may be displayed on thevirtual carpool device 600 after the driver selects the “Request VirtualCarpool” option shown in the FIG. 6A user interface. In this screen, thedriver may select one or more options for his or her virtual carpoolrequest. In an embodiment, the driver may request to be added to arandom virtual carpool or a virtual carpool based on his or her settingsand/or preferences. For example, the driver may be added to a virtualcarpool by the virtual carpool system based on one or morecharacteristics of the driver. The driver may also indicate a number ofdrivers he or she wishes to communicate with in a virtual carpool. Forexample, the driver may specify two drivers, five drivers, ten drivers,or any number of drivers with whom he or she wishes to communicate inthe virtual carpool. In another embodiment, the driver may specify aname or another identifier to represent a person with whom the driverwishes to communicate in a virtual carpool. For example, the driver mayindicate a name, phone number, or another identifier corresponding toone or more particular drivers to communicate with in a virtual carpool.In another embodiment, the driver may submit a name or an identifier(e.g., a number) for one or more preferred virtual carpools to which thedriver wishes to be added.

The driver may also select the microphone icon shown in the userinterface in order to submit a virtual carpool request. In anembodiment, by selecting the microphone icon, the virtual carpoolapplication 602 may record and/or detect audio playing in the driver'svehicle in order to determine listening preferences of the driver. Forexample, the virtual carpool application 602 may transmit a recording ofthe detected audio to one or more computing devices or a server in thevirtual carpool system (e.g., virtual carpool system 202). The virtualcarpool system may determine listening preferences of the driver basedon identifying a radio station, artist, song, genre, radio personality,or podcast in the detected audio recording. The virtual carpool systemmay thus assign the driver to a virtual carpool based on the listeningpreferences.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate example user interfaces of a virtual carpoolapplication 602 when it is used to submit a virtual carpool request. Theuser interface in FIG. 7A depicts an example of one or more optionsand/or preferences selected by the driver in a virtual carpool request.For example, the driver may select to be added to a random virtualcarpool with four other drivers. The driver may navigate to the userinterface shown in FIG. 7B by submitting the virtual carpool request(e.g., by selecting the “Submit Request” button) in FIG. 7A. The userinterface in FIG. 7B may depict a screen that notifies the driver thathe or she is being assigned to a virtual carpool by the virtual carpoolsystem. For example, the virtual carpool system may bridge the driverwith four other drivers in a virtual carpool as requested. The drivermay also have an option to cancel the request by selecting the “CancelRequest” button shown in FIG. 7B. The user interface in FIG. 7B may bepresented by the virtual carpool application 602 while the driver isbeing connected or bridged by the virtual carpool system to the otherdrivers in the assigned virtual carpool.

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate example user interfaces of a virtual carpoolapplication 602 when it is used for communication with other drivers ina virtual carpool. A driver may be presented with the user interfacesshown in FIGS. 8A and 8B after the virtual carpool system has assignedthe driver to the virtual carpool and initiated the conference callbetween the drivers in the virtual carpool. For example, the driver maybe assigned to a virtual carpool associated with a particular musicgroup. That is, the driver and the other four drivers in the virtualcarpool may share similar interests (e.g., listening preferences) forthe particular music group and may be assigned to the same virtualcarpool based on this shared interest. The user interface in FIG. 8A mayindicate how long the conference call has lasted (e.g., call time) andthe number of drivers who are participating in the virtual carpool. Anyof the drivers in the ongoing conference call may leave the conferencecall or end the virtual carpool at any time by selecting the “Endconference” option shown in FIG. 8A. The user interface in FIG. 8B maydepict a screen that is shown after a conference call has ended. Forexample, the user interface may indicate how long the call lasted (e.g.,end time), along with other options. The other options may allow thedriver to add a virtual carpool to his or her favorites as a preferredvirtual carpool. The driver may also send his or her contact informationto other drivers in the virtual carpool, request contact informationfrom other drivers in the virtual carpool, and/or request to be added toa new conference.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate example user interfaces of a virtual carpoolapplication 602 when it is used to access information regarding assignedvirtual carpools. A driver may be able to navigate to the userinterfaces shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B by selecting the “View VirtualCarpools” option shown in the FIG. 6A user interface. The user interfacein FIG. 9A depicts an example list of virtual carpools that the driverhas been assigned to by the virtual carpool system. For example, thedriver may be assigned to a variety of virtual carpools based on his orher various interests, preferences, driving behaviors, driving scores,and the like. In an embodiment, the driver may be able to add anassigned virtual carpool to his or her favorites (e.g., preferredvirtual carpools) as indicated by the star icons in the FIG. 9A userinterface. The driver may also be able to request assignment to a newvirtual carpool, add and/or remove preferred virtual carpools, and editthe list of assigned virtual carpools. The user interface in FIG. 9Billustrates an example of a particular virtual carpool (e.g., “RadioDiscussion Group”) to which the driver has been assigned by the virtualcarpool system. The driver may be able to view the other drivers in thevirtual carpool and may be able to initiate a new conference call withthe other drivers in the virtual carpool. The driver may also request toadd one or more new users (e.g., friends or known contacts) to thevirtual carpool by submitting contact information associated with theone or more new users. The virtual carpool system may employ the contactinformation to notify each new user being added to the virtual carpoolby the driver. In some embodiments, the driver may also cancel a requestto add the one or more new users to the virtual carpool by selecting the“Cancel request” option shown in the FIG. 9B user interface.

FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate example user interfaces of a virtualcarpool application 602 when it is used to send and/or request contactinformation. A driver may be able to navigate to the user interfacesshown in FIGS. 10A and 10B by selecting the “View Contact Information”and “Send Contact Information” options, respectively, shown in the FIG.6A user interface. For example, the driver may be able to send contactinformation to other drivers with whom the driver has previouslycommunicated in an assigned virtual carpool. The driver may also be ableto request to receive contact information from other drivers with whomthe driver has previously communicated in an assigned virtual carpool.The user interfaces in FIGS. 10A and 10B depict example screens that maybe shown to the driver when sending contact information or requestingcontact information from other drivers in an assigned virtual carpool.In some embodiments, the virtual carpool system may send the driver'scontact information to other drivers in an assigned virtual carpool inthe form of an electronic business card (e.g., a vCard).

Aspects of the invention have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications, andvariations within the scope and spirit of the appended claims will occurto persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of thisdisclosure. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may beperformed in other than the recited order, and that one or more stepsillustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing platform comprising: at least oneprocessor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the computing platform to:receive, from a first computing device associated with a first driver, afirst request for the first driver to participate in conferencing;receive, from the first computing device, first audio played in avehicle driven by the first driver and detected by the first computingdevice; determine first listening preferences of the first driver basedon the first audio detected by the first computing device; based on oneor more characteristics of the first driver and based on the firstlistening preferences of the first driver, assign the first driver to aconference; receive, from a second computing device associated with asecond driver different from the first driver, a second request for thesecond driver to participate in conferencing; determine, based on one ormore characteristics of the second driver, that the second driver has atleast one characteristic that matches at least one characteristic of theone or more characteristics of the first driver; receive, from thesecond computing device, second audio played in a vehicle driven by thesecond driver and detected by the second computing device; determinesecond listening preferences of the second driver based on the secondaudio detected by the second computing device; based on determining thefirst listening preferences of the first driver and the second listeningpreferences of the second driver, determine that the first driver andthe second driver have at least one shared listening preference; basedon determining that the second driver has at least one characteristicthat matches at least one characteristic of the one or morecharacteristics of the first driver and based on determining that thefirst driver and the second driver have at least one shared listeningpreference, assign the second driver to the conference with the firstdriver; and bridge the first computing device operated by the firstdriver and the second computing device operated by the second driver inthe conference.
 2. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein receivingthe first request for the first driver to participate in conferencingcomprises receiving, from the first computing device, informationindicating one or more preferred conferences to which the first driverwishes to be added, and wherein the first request is submitted by aspeech input from the first driver.
 3. The computing platform of claim1, wherein the at least one memory stores additional instructions that,when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computingplatform to determine the one or more characteristics of the firstdriver based on real-time data that is collected by sensors in thevehicle driven by the first driver while the first driver is driving. 4.The computing platform of claim 1, wherein bridging the first computingdevice operated by the first driver and the second computing deviceoperated by the second driver in the conference comprises bridging, tothe conference, one or more additional computing devices operated by oneor more additional drivers each having at least one matchingcharacteristic with the first driver and the second driver and eachhaving the at least one shared listening preference of the first driverand the second driver.
 5. The computing platform of claim 1, whereindetermining that the second driver has at least one characteristic thatmatches at least one characteristic of the one or more characteristicsof the first driver comprises determining that a driving pattern of thesecond driver matches a driving pattern of the first driver, a drivingscore of the second driver matches a driving score of the first driver,or an insurance score of the second driver matches an insurance score ofthe first driver.
 6. The computing platform of claim 1, whereindetermining the first listening preferences of the first driver based onthe first audio detected by the first computing device comprisesdetermining the first listening preferences of the first driver based oncaptured audio associated with a radio station played in the vehicledriven by the first driver, captured audio associated with an artistplayed in the vehicle driven by the first driver, captured audioassociated with a song played in the vehicle driven by the first driver,captured audio associated with a genre played in the vehicle driven bythe first driver, captured audio associated with a radio personalityplayed in the vehicle driven by the first driver, or captured audioassociated with a podcast played in the vehicle driven by the firstdriver.
 7. The computing platform of claim 1, wherein the at least onememory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the atleast one processor, cause the computing platform to: collect firstdriving behavior data corresponding to the vehicle driven by the firstdriver over a predetermined period of time; determine one or moredriving patterns of the first driver based on the first driving behaviordata collected over the predetermined period of time; and determine theone or more characteristics of the first driver based on the one or moredriving patterns of the first driver.
 8. The computing platform of claim7, wherein collecting the first driving behavior data corresponding tothe vehicle driven by the first driver over the predetermined period oftime comprises collecting the first driving behavior data based on abilling cycle or billing period associated with an insurance policyassociated with the first driver.
 9. The computing platform of claim 7,wherein determining the one or more driving patterns of the first drivercomprises determining the one or more driving patterns of the firstdriver based on one or more of driving speeds indicated in the firstdriving behavior data collected over the predetermined period of time,acceleration indicated in the first driving behavior data collected overthe predetermined period of time, braking indicated in the first drivingbehavior data collected over the predetermined period of time, steeringindicated in the first driving behavior data collected over thepredetermined period of time, uses of turn signals indicated in thefirst driving behavior data collected over the predetermined period oftime, miles driven indicated in the first driving behavior datacollected over the predetermined period of time, an amount of timedriven at night indicated in the first driving behavior data collectedover the predetermined period of time, or an amount of time drivenduring daytime indicated in the first driving behavior data collectedover the predetermined period of time.
 10. A method comprising: at acomputing platform comprising at least one processor and at least onememory: receiving, by the at least one processor, from a first computingdevice associated with a first driver, a first request for the firstdriver to participate in conferencing; receiving, by the at least oneprocessor, from the first computing device, first audio played in avehicle driven by the first driver and detected by the first computingdevice; determining, by the at least one processor, first listeningpreferences of the first driver based on the first audio detected by thefirst computing device; based on one or more characteristics of thefirst driver and based on the first listening preferences of the firstdriver, assigning, by the at least one processor, the first driver to aconference; receiving, by the at least one processor, from a secondcomputing device associated with a second driver different from thefirst driver, a second request for the second driver to participate inconferencing; determining, by the at least one processor, based on oneor more characteristics of the second driver, that the second driver hasat least one characteristic that matches at least one characteristic ofthe one or more characteristics of the first driver; receiving, by theat least one processor, from the second computing device, second audioplayed in a vehicle driven by the second driver and detected by thesecond computing device; determining, by the at least one processor,second listening preferences of the second driver based on the secondaudio detected by the second computing device; based on determining thefirst listening preferences of the first driver and the second listeningpreferences of the second driver, determining, by the at least oneprocessor, that the first driver and the second driver have at least oneshared listening preference; based on determining that the second driverhas at least one characteristic that matches at least one characteristicof the one or more characteristics of the first driver and based ondetermining that the first driver and the second driver have at leastone shared listening preference, assigning, by the at least oneprocessor, the second driver to the conference with the first driver;and bridging, by the at least one processor, the first computing deviceoperated by the first driver and the second computing device operated bythe second driver in the conference.
 11. The method of claim 10, whereinreceiving the first request for the first driver to participate inconferencing comprises receiving, from the first computing device,information indicating one or more preferred conferences to which thefirst driver wishes to be added, and wherein the first request issubmitted by a speech input from the first driver.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, comprising: determining, by the at least one processor, theone or more characteristics of the first driver based on real-time datathat is collected by sensors in the vehicle driven by the first driverwhile the first driver is driving.
 13. The method of claim 10, whereinbridging the first computing device operated by the first driver and thesecond computing device operated by the second driver in the conferencecomprises bridging, to the conference, one or more additional computingdevices operated by one or more additional drivers each having at leastone matching characteristic with the first driver and the second driverand each having the at least one shared listening preference of thefirst driver and the second driver.
 14. The method of claim 10, whereindetermining that the second driver has at least one characteristic thatmatches at least one characteristic of the one or more characteristicsof the first driver comprises determining that a driving pattern of thesecond driver matches a driving pattern of the first driver, a drivingscore of the second driver matches a driving score of the first driver,or an insurance score of the second driver matches an insurance score ofthe first driver.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein determining thefirst listening preferences of the first driver based on the first audiodetected by the first computing device comprises determining the firstlistening preferences of the first driver based on captured audioassociated with a radio station played in the vehicle driven by thefirst driver, captured audio associated with an artist played in thevehicle driven by the first driver, captured audio associated with asong played in the vehicle driven by the first driver, captured audioassociated with a genre played in the vehicle driven by the firstdriver, captured audio associated with a radio personality played in thevehicle driven by the first driver, or captured audio associated with apodcast played in the vehicle driven by the first driver.
 16. The methodof claim 10, comprising: collecting, by the at least one processor,first driving behavior data corresponding to the vehicle driven by thefirst driver over a predetermined period of time; determining, by the atleast one processor, one or more driving patterns of the first driverbased on the first driving behavior data collected over thepredetermined period of time; and determining, by the at least oneprocessor, the one or more characteristics of the first driver based onthe one or more driving patterns of the first driver.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein collecting the first driving behavior datacorresponding to the vehicle driven by the first driver over thepredetermined period of time comprises collecting the first drivingbehavior data based on a billing cycle or billing period associated withan insurance policy associated with the first driver.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein determining the one or more driving patterns of thefirst driver comprises determining the one or more driving patterns ofthe first driver based on one or more of driving speeds indicated in thefirst driving behavior data collected over the predetermined period oftime, acceleration indicated in the first driving behavior datacollected over the predetermined period of time, braking indicated inthe first driving behavior data collected over the predetermined periodof time, steering indicated in the first driving behavior data collectedover the predetermined period of time, uses of turn signals indicated inthe first driving behavior data collected over the predetermined periodof time, miles driven indicated in the first driving behavior datacollected over the predetermined period of time, an amount of timedriven at night indicated in the first driving behavior data collectedover the predetermined period of time, or an amount of time drivenduring daytime indicated in the first driving behavior data collectedover the predetermined period of time.
 19. One or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by acomputing platform comprising at least one processor and at least onememory, cause the computing platform to: receive, from a first computingdevice associated with a first driver, a first request for the firstdriver to participate in conferencing; receive, from the first computingdevice, first audio played in a vehicle driven by the first driver anddetected by the first computing device; determine first listeningpreferences of the first driver based on the first audio detected by thefirst computing device; based on one or more characteristics of thefirst driver and based on the first listening preferences of the firstdriver, assign the first driver to a conference; receive, from a secondcomputing device associated with a second driver different from thefirst driver, a second request for the second driver to participate inconferencing; determine, based on one or more characteristics of thesecond driver, that the second driver has at least one characteristicthat matches at least one characteristic of the one or morecharacteristics of the first driver; receive, from the second computingdevice, second audio played in a vehicle driven by the second driver anddetected by the second computing device; determine second listeningpreferences of the second driver based on the second audio detected bythe second computing device; based on determining the first listeningpreferences of the first driver and the second listening preferences ofthe second driver, determine that the first driver and the second driverhave at least one shared listening preference; based on determining thatthe second driver has at least one characteristic that matches at leastone characteristic of the one or more characteristics of the firstdriver and based on determining that the first driver and the seconddriver have at least one shared listening preference, assign the seconddriver to the conference with the first driver; and bridge the firstcomputing device operated by the first driver and the second computingdevice operated by the second driver in the conference.
 20. The one ormore non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, whereinreceiving the first request for the first driver to participate inconferencing comprises receiving, from the first computing device,information indicating one or more preferred conferences to which thefirst driver wishes to be added, and wherein the first request issubmitted by a speech input from the first driver.